When Caroline mwatha disappeared on 6th February 2019 most people did not know her and in the following days Kenyans searched for her most people started to wonder who she was.
Caroline mwatha to many Kenyans was just an ordinary Kenyan living a simple life but behind that simple life, was a dedicated team player, a founding member of Dandora community justice center, a human rights defender, a mother, a wife and last but not least a voice of the voiceless.
Dandora is known to many as a slum where crime is a way of life but that is not the only thing in Dandora because their are hard working Kenyans who live there and do not depend on crime to survive.
Due to this misconception about Dandora residents police have turned this informal settlement into an execution field and in the process denied most Kenyan youths the right to life as guaranteed by the constitution of Kenya.
Dandora community justice center has been documenting this extra judicial killings by our security officers and advocating for a peaceful coexistence between the civilians and the police and Caroline mwatha was one of the pillars of hope in Dandora community.
Caroline mwatha stood up together with her colleagues at Dandora community justice center and gave hope to residents of Dandora, they gave hope and a voice to a voiceless community and this voice was given in equal measure to both young and old and even though Caroline mwatha has gone to sleep her work has just begun.
The disappearance of Caroline mwatha brought back memories of human rights lawyer Willy kimani who was killed by administration police officers simply because he stood to defend a Kenyan who was wrongly accused by rogue officers.
The killings in Dandora slums in Nairobi Kenya is a spit on the milestone of our constitutional dispensation and a slap on the face of justice, equality and a right to life in Kenya. The right to life is not a previllage granted by the state but a constitutionally protected right that cannot be substituted or replaced by anything.
Caroline mwatha and her colleagues stood firm and said NO to extra judicial killings and they demanded and they still demand for the respect of the rights of each and every Kenyan and those visiting Kenya. Caroline mwatha has gone to sleep and the shoes she has left behind are so big to fill. Rest in peace Caroline mwatha.